Christopher Houston

Christopher Houston

Cloud & DevOps Solutions Architect

$2.5M+ Cost Optimization
99.99% System Uptime
50+ Enterprise Projects

Senior Solutions Architect with extensive experience in cloud architecture, DevOps practices, and big data infrastructure. Specializing in multi-cloud solutions, infrastructure as code, and enterprise-scale migrations across AWS, Azure, and GCP. Expert in modernizing enterprise systems and implementing secure, scalable solutions.

Areas of Expertise

Cloud Platforms

AWS Azure GCP

Infrastructure & DevOps

Terraform Kubernetes Docker Ansible Jenkins GitLab

Big Data & Analytics

Hadoop Snowflake Spark Kafka HBase Hive

Latest Blog Posts

Experience

  • Designed and developed a 3D platformer using Unity, C++, and Blender, targeting cross-platform release.
  • Engineered complex gameplay mechanics utilizing procedural generation, AI pathfinding, and custom physics simulations, boosting gameplay interactivity.
  • Deployed CI/CD pipelines with Plastic SCM and Git, streamlining integration workflows by 40%.
  • Developed and deployed the accompanying website using Node.js and Azure DevOps, hosting web apps in Azure for seamless user updates.
  • Built reusable 3D asset-generation pipelines with Blender, reducing development lead time by 20%.
  • Designed and secured Hadoop clusters processing PHI data, achieving compliance with HIPAA regulations.
  • Configured Knox SSO for end-to-end data security using Shibboleth IDP and wire encryption for all services.
  • Implemented Hadoop data platforms to process structured and unstructured data across environments.
  • Managed and audited large-scale ingest pipelines via Hive and Kafka, enabling seamless data engineering operations.
  • Architected disaster recovery solutions for Hadoop clusters, reducing Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) to under 2 hours.
  • Configured perimeter-level security, including Kerberos encryption, Knox topologies, and role-based Apache Ranger policies.
  • Installed, configured, and maintained MapR Hadoop clusters, deploying highly available infrastructure.
  • Designed efficient infrastructure-as-code (IaC) workflows with Terraform and Ansible, automating cluster scaling.
  • Designed, implemented, and maintained big data infrastructure, including Hortonworks, MapR, and Cloudera Hadoop distributions.
  • Planned and executed cloud migrations for hybrid and multi-cloud environments, including AWS, Azure, and GCP, enabling improved scalability and cost-effectiveness.
  • Automated CI/CD pipelines using GitLab and Ansible, ensuring consistent code deployment and faster development cycles.
  • Secured distributed architectures by implementing Kerberos authentication, Knox gateways, and SSL encryption policies.

Healthcare Industry (OHSU)

  • Designed and secured Hadoop clusters processing PHI data, achieving compliance with HIPAA regulations.
  • Configured Knox SSO for end-to-end data security using Shibboleth IDP and wire encryption for all services.

Retail Industry (Sephora)

  • Implemented Hadoop data platforms to process structured and unstructured data across environments.
  • Managed and audited large-scale ingest pipelines via Hive and Kafka, enabling seamless data engineering operations.

Finance Industry (Symcor)

  • Architected disaster recovery solutions for Hadoop clusters, reducing Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) to under 2 hours.
  • Configured perimeter-level security, including Kerberos encryption, Knox topologies, and role-based Apache Ranger policies.

Energy Sector (Anadarko Petroleum)

  • Installed, configured, and maintained MapR Hadoop clusters, deploying highly available infrastructure.
  • Designed efficient infrastructure-as-code (IaC) workflows with Terraform and Ansible, automating cluster scaling.
  • Designed, implemented, and maintained big data infrastructure, including Hortonworks, MapR, and Cloudera Hadoop distributions.
  • Planned and executed cloud migrations for hybrid and multi-cloud environments, including AWS, Azure, and GCP, enabling improved scalability and cost-effectiveness.
  • Automated CI/CD pipelines using GitLab and Ansible, ensuring consistent code deployment and faster development cycles.
  • Secured distributed architectures by implementing Kerberos authentication, Knox gateways, and SSL encryption policies.
  • Modernized CI/CD pipelines using Terraform, Ansible, and Git, reducing infrastructure deployment time by 60%.
  • Spearheaded several cloud migration projects for multi-cloud environments, enabling seamless transitions for large clients.
  • Designed and implemented scalable Terraform modules for automated deployment of resources such as VM clusters and network configurations.
  • Served as a technical mentor for a pilot program training teams in IaC best practices, driving a 20% increase in adoption.

Let's Connect

Looking to modernize your infrastructure or need expertise in cloud solutions? Let's discuss how I can help.